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WYNN
family, of
Gwydir, Caerns.

The
Wynns
of
Gwydir
belonged to a stock which was engaged during the 14th and 15th cents, in establishing the nuclei of small estates in the free townships of
Penyfed
and
Pennant
in
Eifionydd
. About the
beginning of the 14th cent.
,
Dafydd ap Gruffydd
of
Nantconwy
(claiming descent from
Owain Gwynedd
) m.
Eva
, daughter and heiress of
Gruffydd Fychan
, one of the coheirs of ‘
Gwely Wyrion Gruffydd
’ in
Penyfed
. The descendants of this union are found at
Gesail Gyfarch
,
Ystumcegid
,
Clenennau
, and
Brynkir
. During the revolt of
Owain Glyndwr
,
Ieuan ap Maredudd ap Hywel ap Dafydd ap Gruffydd
of
Cefn-y-fan
(later called
Ystumcegid
) and
Gesail Gyfarch
supported the crown and d. in
1403
while defending
Caernarvon castle
against
Glyndwr
's forces; his brother,
Robert
, was one of
Glyndwr
’ followers and received a pardon from
Henry
,
prince of Wales
, in
1408
.

As a result, possibly, of this division of loyalties, the bulk of the family possessions remained in the possession of the line of
Ieuan ap Maredudd
until
1463
; in that year, the lands were partitioned and
Gesail Gyfarch
fell to the share of
Ieuan ap Robert ap Maredudd
(
1437
-
1468
). He was a
Lancastrian
and died of the
plague
at
Gesail Gyfarch
in
1468
. His son,
Maredudd
, to avoid implication in the feuds of his kinsmen in
Eifionydd
, purchased the lease of
Dolwyddelan castle
about
1489
; he later built
Penamnen
, and finally purchased
Gwydir
from
Dafydd ap Hywel Coetmorabout 1500
.

His son,

JOHN (WYN)AP MAREDUDD
(d.
9 July 1559
),

succeeded to his father's lands at
Gwydir
,
Nantconwy
,
Dolwyddelan
, and
Llanfrothen
. (
Gesail Gyfarch
went to his half-brother,
Humphrey
). He rebuilt
Gwydir
in
1555
and was
Member of Parliament
for
Caernarvonshire
,
1551-3
, and
high sheriff
for
Caernarvonshire
,
1544-5
,
1553-4
, and
1556-7
. The career of his son,
MAURICE
WYNN
(d.
18 Aug. 1580
), was similar. The first to adopt the name ‘
Wynn
’ as a surname, he was
Member of Parliament
for
Caernarvonshire
,
1553
,
1554
,
1559
, and
1563-7
, and
high sheriff
of
Caernarvonshire
,
1555
,
1570
, and
1578
.

The best known member of the family was
Maurice
's son,

Sir
JOHN
WYNN
(
1553
—
1627
).

A student of
All Souls
,
Oxford
, in
1570
, he was at
Furnival's Inn
in
1572
and at the
Inner Temple
in
1576
. He appears to have lived in
London
until his father's death in
1580
, although he may have travelled abroad. After
inheriting
Gwydir
, he entered vigorously into the public life of
North Wales
; he was
high sheriff
of
Caernarvonshire
,
1587-8
,
1603
, of
Merioneth
,
1588-9
and
1600-01
, and of
Denbighshire
,
1606-7
, and
Member of Parliament
for
Caernarvonshire
,
1586-7
. He was
knighted
in
1606
, appointed a member of the
Council of the Marches
in
1608
, and created a
baronet
in
1611
.

Unscrupulous, acquisitive, litigious, and hot-tempered, he was the leader of the dominant party in
Caernarvonshire
, and it was only in the closing years of his life that the supremacy of his family and party in the county was threatened by the rivalry of the
Griffiths
of
Cefn Amwlch
, leaders of the conservative
Llyn
squires (see below, under
SirRichardWynn
,
second baronet
). He
attempted to introduce the manufacture of Welsh friezes
into the
Vale of Conway
, was interested in the
Parys Mountain (Anglesey) copper mines
, and in
1625
suggested to
SirHughMyddelton
a project for reclaiming
Traeth Mawr
, separating
Caernarvonshire
from
Merioneth
. He
founded [?] a school and alms houses
at
Llanrwst
in
1610
[but see under
Williams
,
John
(
fl.
1584-1627?
)
.
One of the petitioners for a royal commission to hold an eisteddfod
in
1594
, he encouraged the literary activities of his kinsmen,
ThomasWiliems
of
Trefriw
.

By his wife
Sydney
, daughter of
SirWilliamGerrard
, he had ten sons and two daughters. His eldest son,

JOHN
WYNN
(
c.
1584
-
1614
)

was educated at
Bedford School
and
Lincoln's Inn
. He was
high sheriff
of
Merioneth
,
1611-2
, and was
knighted
in
1613
. His marriage to
Margaret
, daughter of
SirThomasCave
, appears to have been unhappy, and he travelled in
France
and
Italy
,
1613-4
, and d. at
Lucca
,
1614
, possibly in the
Roman faith
. His younger brother,

RICHARD
WYNN
(
1588
-
1649
),

succeeded as
second baronet
in
1627
. Educated at
Lincoln's Inn
, he entered the
Lord Chamberlain's service
,
1608
, was
groom of the bedchamber
to
Charles
,
prince of Wales
,
1617-25
, and accompanied him on his voyage to
Spain
,
1623
. Appointed
treasurer
to
queenHenrietta Maria
,
1625
, he was
groom of the bedchamber to the king and queen
in
1629
. He was
Member of Parliament
for
Caernarvonshire
,
1614
,
Ilchester
,
1621-2
and
1624
,
Andover
,
1640
, and
Liverpool
,
1640-9
. His unsuccessful contest for
Caernarvonshire
,
1620
, when he was defeated by
JohnGriffith
of
Cefn Amwlch
, marked the eclipse of the political influence of
Gwydir
in the county. He erected the
Gwydir chapel
in
Llanrwst church
,
1633
. Despite his close connections with the royal family, he showed no eagerness to waste his estates in the king's service during the
Civil Wars
.

His marriage in
1618
to
Anne
, daughter and coheiress of
SirFrancisDarcy
, was childless, and the baronetcy and estates fell to his brother,

OWEN
WYNN
(
1592
-
1660
).

Educated at
Westminster
,
Eton
, and
S. John's
,
Cambridge
, he was
apprenticed to a merchant of the Staple
in
1608
, but eventually came under the patronage of
lord-keeper
(later
archbishop
)
JohnWilliams
, whose niece,
Grace
, he m. in
1462
. Like his elder brother, he took no active part in the
Civil Wars
. Although threatened with sequestration in
1656
, he appears to have escaped and as
sheriff
of
Caernarvonshire
in
1653
, he proclaimed
Cromwell
as
Protector
. He was
high sheriff
of
Denbighshire
in
1656
. He was
interested in alchemy, chemistry, and metallurgy
, and corresponded with
Dr.JohnDavies
of
Mallwyd
(
c.
1567
-
1644
)
.

His son,

RICHARD
WYNN
(
c.
1625
-
1674
),

succeeded as
4th baronet
in
1660
. He was
high sheriff
of
Caernarvonshire
,
1657-8
,
Member of Parliament
for
Caernarvonshire
,
1647-53
and
1661-75
, and was associated with the
municipal government of Denbigh
. In
1659
he appears to have been implicated in the royalist insurrection arranged by
SirGeorgeBooth
and
SirThomasMyddelton
(whose daughter,
Sarah
, he had m. in
1654
) and was for a while imprisoned at
Caernarvon
. On his death in
1674
his estate passed to his daughter
Mary
(
1661
-
1689
), who m., in
1678
,
RobertBertie
,
baron Willoughby de Eresby
later
marquis of Lindsey
and
duke of Ancaster
, in whose family
Gwydir
remained until
1895
. The baronetcy passed to
JohnWynn
of
Watstay
(
1628
-
1719
), only son of
HenryWynn
, tenth son of the
first baronet
, and was extinguished by his death.

Sources:

Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
, lxiii;

Calendar of Wynn (of Gwydir) Papers,
1515–1690, in the National Library of Wales and
elsewhere
(1926)
, passim;